Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
The first two objectives of the strategy (intervening earlier and a greater proportion of women...
Conclusion
The first two objectives of the strategy (intervening earlier and a greater proportion of women managed in the community) each depend on improved community services for women.15 The Ministry told us the importance of work done in the community is “absolutely well understood”16 Despite this the Ministry has spent only £9.5 million on grants for community services over four years (2018–19 to 2021–22).17 The Ministry has not been able to make a full assessment of how much it needs to spend on community services because it has declined to set targets so has not set out the reduction in the proportion of women entering different stages of the CJS that it expects to see. It considers that it would be inappropriate to set out the extent of what it is aiming to achieve as this depends on other bodies that are independent of it such as the judiciary.18
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
2.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 2.2 It is not possible to estimate a counterfactual to determine where an alternative intervention may have been respectively more successful. In addition, it would not be appropriate for the government to do so given that the police, Crown Prosecution Service and judiciary are all independent and responsible for decisions relating to arrest, charge and sentencing. 2.3 As an alternative, the department has instead estimated the number of women that could be supported through women’s services as a result of the funding available.